The Human Rights Media Institute

Objectives:

The Human Rights Media Institute (HRMI) is a Montreal based non-profit, dedicated to teaching skills in Print, Web, Radio and Video. The Institute aims to transfer skills to communities by providing the space and equipment needed to produce media. The content generated by HRMI offers a fair presentation for human rights perspectives produced by communities and individuals neglected or misrepresented by other medias.

The challenge posed by the Institute is empowerment through self-representation, thus providing an opportunity to marginalized communities to generate their own media that reflects their realities more accurately.

Skill-sharing and collective environments are the cornerstones of the HRMI. The project is structured into four sections, each coordinated by a skilled professional. In order to give total editorial freedom to the participants, the content will be collectively facilitated.

HRMI Sections:

As specified before, there will be four sections to the project teaching skills in Print, Web, Radio and Video. All formats offered by the HRMI require an orientation to the basics of journalism. These basics, or Core Requirements, will be recommended for all participants irrelevant of the section they register for:

HRMI Core Requirements

Research Techniques; Reporting Methods; Basic Writing; Principles of Editing; Law and the Media; Advocacy Media.

After completing the Core Requirements, participants will select at least one section as their area of concentration. The following offers a description of each section and the relevant courses:

Audio/Radio

This section will NOT require its participant to be present at the Institute or in Montreal. Through HRMI's alliance with campus and community-based radio stations across Canada, participants are able to receive access to training and equipment. Participants will be directed to the closest campus station to access this privilege and in return these stations will broadcast the content produced by the collective. At this moment, work has already started on the first project titled "Under the Olive Tree." This project is a one-hour radio show that covers the news of the Palestinian community in Canada and in their homeland. This program is broadcast weekly at CKUT Radio McGill in Montreal ( www.ckut.ca ) and carried in segments by the other participating radio stations ( www.radio4all.net ).

The following courses will be offered at participating stations:

Portable Recording Equipment; Introduction to Digital Editing; Advanced Digital Editing; Voice Exercises; On-Air Studio Engineering; Web Distribution.

Print Publishing

This section will require participants to be physically in Montreal. Participants will learn the basics of writing styles and be oriented to the physical work of printmaking and publishing. Already this section has produced its first project, a monthly magazine that is distributed on all university and collage campuses in Montreal. The title of the magazine is Siafu ( www.siafu.ca ).

The following courses will be offered for this section:

News Writing and Editing; Opinion and Features Writing and Editing; Adobe Photoshop; Adobe Illustrator; Quark XPress; Printing on One-Color Press; Printing on Two-Color Press; Printing on a Web Press; Silk-Screen Printing.

Web Publishing

This section is still in the planing stage. It will NOT require participants to be physically in Montreal. Through HRMI's collaboration with Electronic Intifada (www.electronicintifada.net ) or EI participants will join online courses offered by the directors of EI. The content produced will be hosted on the servers of EI.

The following courses will be offered for this section:

HTML; PHP; Java.

Video/Film

This section will require participants to be physically in Montreal. Already a project was initiated with the Inter Tribal Youth Council at the Native Friendship Center of Montreal. Four native youth were given workshops in basic digital camera work. The youth then interviewed individuals that were involved in the standoff at Kahnesatake (near Oka, Quebec) in 1990 on the week of the 15-year anniversary. The youth were then given workshops on basic digital editing and were able to produce a 50min documentary commemorating the event. The final product is to be released in 2006.

The following courses will be offered for this section:

Basic Digital Camera; Advanced Digital Camera; Lighting; Sound; Basic Final Cut Pro; Advanced Final Cut Pro; Special effects, Motion and others; Animation; Claymation.

Contacts:

To reach the Human Rights Media Institute or for more information on any of these projects, email: humanrightsmedia@gmail.com or info@humanrightsmedia.org